Musanze, 2 September 2016
President Kagame today attended the 12th Kwitizina ceremony which was held in Kinigi, Musanze District, where 22 baby gorillas were named by different people selected from various backgrounds.
President Kagame pointed out that conservation of nature should not be the sole responsibility of the government, but every Rwandan.
“Today’s celebration of Kwita izana means a lot to us. Today is not only about Kwita Izina, it is about remembering that development must be founded on protecting our environment. When we protect our environment, we are also taking care of ourselves. We don’t have to choose between protection of the environment and socio-economic development because they are not mutually exclusive.”
President Kagame reminded the people of Musanze that they should be are the at frontline when it came to conservation of gorillas:
“The journey we have travelled is impressive but we still have a long way to go. Everyone has to have a part to play in this, so that we all benefit from the dividends of conservation. The more the revenues from gorilla tourism increases, the more the benefits to everyone, particularly you the residents of Musanze. Our young people should adopt the culture of conservation and knowledge that our economy is hinged on conservation.”
The ceremony was preceded by various conservation activities around the country.